30 emergency planes chartered to rescue 110,000 people stranded by the collapse of Monarch

A Monarch Airlines passenger aircraft prepares for take off from Gatwick Airport in southern England, Britain, October 9, 2016. REUTERS/Toby MelvilleLONDON — The UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is launching the biggest repatriation effort of Brits abroad since the Second World War after the collapse of Monarch Airlines over the weekend.

Monarch, which flies to the Mediterranean and other hot weather destinations such as Egypt, collapsed into administration on Sunday after over a year of financial difficulty. It is the biggest-ever UK airline collapse.

The UK government has asked the CAA to coordinate flights back to the UK for those affected due to the "unprecedented" situation. The CAA is chartering 30 aircrafts to bring back citizens within the next fortnight from over 30 airports.

Transport secretary Chris Grayling said in a statement: "This is a hugely distressing situation for British holidaymakers abroad - and my first priority is to help them get back to the UK.

"That is why I have immediately ordered the country's biggest ever peacetime repatriation to fly about 110,000 passengers who could otherwise have been left stranded abroad."

Two flights carrying Monarch customers from Ibiza have landed at Gatwick and Birmingham on Monday morning.

Andrew Haines, CEO of the CAA, said in a statement on Monday: "We are putting together, at very short notice and for a period of two weeks, what is effectively one of the UK's largest airlines to manage this task.

"The scale and challenge of this operation means that some disruption is inevitable. We ask customers to bear with us as we work around the clock to bring everyone home."

Grayling said in his statement: "Nobody should underestimate the size of the challenge, so I ask passengers to be patient and act on the advice given by the CAA."

There will be no extra cost to anyone affected. The CAA is asking all Monarch customers to check the website monarch.caa.co.uk for details. The CAA has also set up a 24-hour helpline — 0300 303 2800 from in the UK and Ireland, and +44 1753 330330 from overseas.